It’s apparently well known that New Jersey drivers are terrible drivers. We’re the butt of many jokes concerning driving. A few of my favorites include “Why pass on the left when you can pass on the right and scare the oncoming traffic?” “Speed limits are suggestions not meant to be followed” “New Jersey drivers brake as late as possible to get a foot massage from their ABS” and finally, “Turn signals are clues to your next move in a road battle so never use them.” But is this fact or just another over hyped stereotype?

The answer is not…and yes. I should probably start off with a disclaimer: I can already tell under normal circumstances it’d be difficult to subjectively look at this topic. However, I have an added impediment—I’m a new driver. I just got my permit about six months ago, so any driving experience I have has been tainted by the fact that I’m scared to go above 45 mph and still don’t know how far away I should be when I put my turn signal on. Any knowledge I have has to come from driving with my parents.

Let’s talk about the ‘no’ part first, shall we? New Jersey drivers are fast, I’ll admit that much. I wouldn’t say we’re aggressive with our driving though—we just don’t deal with slow people. If you’ve ever gone to Pennsylvania, they drive much worse than New Jerseyans (No offense to my Pennsylvanian readers, I love the state and people!). They drive slow, and in the left lane no less. It’s really not their fault, because the left lane can be used as a fast lane there whereas in New Jersey it’s a keep-right-except-to-pass kind of deal. I’ve noticed that if a lane is backed up, you can almost bet money that there’s a Pennsylvania driver in the mix—or a New Yorker. Once again, I love New York and the people in it; it’s just that their driving skills could use work. Now that’s an aggressive driving state. So no, we’re not bad per say, we’re just…not like other states. We’re different, I guess.

But remember that other part I mentioned, where I said yeah, we kind of are bad drivers? Well, while it’s true we’re not aggressive with our driving, we’re aggressive with our words and actions. A little road rage is not at all uncommon. Nothing abnormal really, just…verbal with our emotions really. People are traditionally scared to drive in New Jersey which honestly shocks me. Don’t be scared, we’re really pretty good drivers!

So I guess at the end, what I’m really trying to say is that New Jerseyans aren’t bad drivers. We may have different driving habits than your state, but that doesn’t make us bad! Let me know what you think in the comments below :>

Hey guys! Yesterday was another great day down the shore at Atlantic City. It’s a little sad to think it might be our last time down there all summer. Although I do love Atlantic City, I have to admit it’s not the most family-friendly beach destination. On one end of the beach, you can constantly hear the roar of helicopters taking people on tours. On the end where we were, closer to the casinos, you can constantly hear the music thumping. I think the reason so many people love it, aside from the casinos, is that you don’t have to buy beach tags. Which got me thinking—are beach tags, essentially charging to get on the beach, really fair?

Atlantic City, Wildwood and Strathmere are the only beaches that don’t require a purchased beach tag to enter. As for the price, that varies by location—Ocean City charges only $25 for a seasonal pass while Avon charges $90. Daily tags are generally between $5 and $10. The reasons cited for the charge actually do make sense—they help pay for the cost of lifeguards, trash removal, public facilities and other amenities. This, of course, has to raise the question if Jersey Shores are really worth $8 a day.

I’m willing to admit that the beaches you have to pay for are generally nicer—Ocean City seems cleaner; Surf City seems less crowded. And it is logical that to go on a beach and have services provided to, by which I mean lifeguards and general beach patrolling, you should have to pay a small fee. The only thing that bothers me is that as a New Jersey resident, my taxes are going to the government to keep our state clean and then I have to pay again to go on my beach. I feel that as a New Jersey resident, as a resident of a state on a shoreline, it should be the government’s responsibility to provide clean beaches to its citizens. That’s why I think New Jersey residents should be exempt from paying for beach tags.

Now it may seem unfair to charge only people from out-of-state. And don’t get me wrong, tourism is such a huge part of the Jersey Shore industry and I’m happy to have them here. But they’re not paying taxes. They’re not already giving money to the government. They’re coming here and using our services, and while we welcome them, they’re obligated to pay for it.

I know that this has been a controversial topic, so I’d love to hear your opinion. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our trip!

I gotta admit, I love Jersey Shore. Not because I think it’s good entertainment or because I aspire to be Jwoww, but because it’s trashy, it’s a guilty pleasure, and it’s just what I need after a long day, or just to remind myself that life could be worse. Even if you’re not a fan of the MTV show, you’ve undoubtedly heard about it and the stereotypes it causes. I’ll try to cover as many as I can, but for now, I’ll cover possibly the most well-known and most annoying: Fake tanning.

Some notable celebrities from Jersey look like they just rolled in Cheeto dust. But not all of us are like that, I promise. I’ll be completely honest and say I know a few girls who are obviously guilty of fake tanning. Seeing them makes me cringe and wonder if they’re oblivious to the fact that skin tones are not usually Crayola orange or if they think they look really hot (side note: I never see any of them with a boyfriend). It’s honestly a mystery to me why someone would do that to themselves. I mean, I know I’m pale—and at times disgustingly so—but I’d never lower myself to fake tanning.

Jerseyans are tan I’ve noticed, but most are natural. I’ll blog about this much more over the summer but even before Jersey Shore the beach has been a huge part of our lives. It’s where we grow up, and where our best memories are. When you’re down the shore for the majority of summer, it’s natural to get very tan, despite vigorous applications of sun screen. To me, at least, the difference is very clear between a fake tanner and a beach dweller—and the latter is more common. This stereotype is one that can be cracked with certainty!